Control device particularly remote control for industrial appliances

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a control device, particularly a remote control for industrial appliances, comprising a housing for accommodating the control electronics and at least one control element. The housing ( 10 ) is formed by a wall part ( 11 ) and holding elements ( 13, 14 ) which close the two faces of the wall part ( 11 ) and can be interconnected by means of bars ( 17, 18, 19 ). Preferably the holding elements are molded plastic parts while the wall part ( 11 ) and/or the bars ( 17, 18, 19 ) are profiled metal parts. The housing can thus be assembled from simple components, i.e. a wall part and holding elements that close the faces, as basic modules which can be expanded in many different ways, allowing an individually configured control device to be designed like a module or kit. Various requirement levels regarding mechanical stability, durability, service life, production costs, etc. can be met by adequately selecting the materials.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a control unit, particularly a remotecontrol for industrial equipment, comprising a housing for accommodatingthe control electronics and at least one control element.

Control units of this type have been in use for years and they areemployed, for example, for the remote control of cranes on constructionsites. The housing is usually a box-like object that is held eitherdirectly by the hands of the user, or via a carrying strap with the aidof which the control unit is held in front of the body of the operator,who then has his hands free to operate, for example, two joysticks.

Control units of this type exist in a whole variety of technical designsand styles, which accordingly necessitates individual productionmeasures.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to design a control unit ofthe generic type in such a way that it can be manufactured from simplebasic components in variable dimensions in simple processing steps.

It is another object of the invention that the housing that is designedin this manner can easily be expanded with additional components thathave additional functionality in adaptation to the intended use and/orto the employed control elements, such as e.g. joysticks. The goal is,therefore, for the control unit to be configurable from standardcomponents as individually as possible.

This object is achieved according to the present invention with thecharacteristics of claim 1.

The underlying concept of the invention accordingly is that the housingis composed of simple components, namely a wall part and holdingelements that close the end faces, as “base modules” that can beexpanded according to advantageous embodiments, which are specified inthe subclaims, in many different ways so that an individually configuredcontrol unit is obtained that is designed module-like orbuilding-block-like.

Various requirement levels regarding mechanical stability, durability,service life, production costs, etc., can be met by selecting the propermaterials, and the individual configuration can thus largely becompleted “off the storage rack”.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred exemplary embodiment of the control unit will now beexplained in greater detail based on an industrial remote control unit,with drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective general view from above,

FIG. 2 is a perspective general view from below,

FIG. 3 is a top view,

FIG. 4 is a side view,

FIG. 5 is a front view,

FIG. 6 is a perspective detail view of the end face of a holdingelement,

FIG. 7 is a perspective detail view of the inside of a holding element,and

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the control unit with its components, and

FIG. 9 is a variant of a holding element.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

The control unit consists of only a few components, which are shown inthe exploded view of FIG. 8:

The housing 10 consists of a cuboid wall part 11 that is composed of abottom, U-shaped component 11A and a top, cover-like component 11B,which are horizontally connectable to one another, for example viapressing or pushing in appropriate corresponding contourings of theirupper edge regions. The top component 11B has circular cutouts 12A,12Bfor insertion of two control elements 30,31 that are shown in theexemplary embodiment in the form of joysticks. Contained within thehousing are the usual electronic components, for example for a remotecontrol transmitter; these are commonly known and are not depicted forease of viewing.

The two components 11A,11B that form the wall part 11 are cut to thedesired length from profiled bars and provided with the desired numberof openings 12A,12B, so as to be able to hold the desired type andnumber of control elements.

The wall part 11 that is individually designed in this manner is closedat its open end faces with a holding element 13,14 in each case, whichis provided for this purpose on its inside that face the wall part 11with corresponding recesses, grooves, projections or contourings 14F, soas to allow a fixed relation of the wall part and holding element to oneanother. The holding elements 13, 14 can be produced as one-piece moldedplastic parts via injection molding batch runs and are designedapproximately X-shaped as viewed from the top, with two arms13A,13B,14A,14B in each case facing in the direction of the controlelements 30,31 and, opposite the same, feet 15A,15B,16A,16B.

The arms 13A,13B,14A,14B are dimensioned such that the plane thatextends across their top ends extends above the control elements 30,31,so that these are protected, i.e. even in cases of unintentionalmovements of the control unit, jolts or other external influences arealways reliably absorbed by at least one of the arms of a holdingelement. One essential function of the thusly designed holding elementsaccordingly consists of protecting the control elements.

The arms 13A,13B,14A,14B have a plurality of stacked recesses 13E,14E,into which three bars 17,18,19 can be inserted in the shown exemplaryembodiment whose length is slightly greater than the length of the wallpart 11, so that a structure is created as it is shown in FIGS. 1through 4. The bars may be made of a variety of materials, depending onthe desired appearance or mechanical stability; they may be positionedat various heights by insertion into the different recesses 13E,14E, sothat they can serve, for example, as added protection for the controlelements, or also so that they serve as a single or additional handsupport, or so that they are supported in a suitable manner on theoperator's body.

One or more of these bars may also accommodate electronic components,such as antenna arms, for example, which are then routed via one arm ofa holding element into the wall part 11 and connected to the electronicsthat are housed there.

Between the bars 17 and 18, or also between the bar 19 and the edge ofthe wall part 11, there may be supported a plastic part 40 that containsadditional control elements or displays.

A further embodiment provides that there is disposed in one of theholding parts 13,14 a receptacle 20 in the form of a well that isdesigned and dimensioned such that power supply components 21, such as,for example, batteries or rechargeable battery packs may be placedtherein that supply power to the electronic components inside the wallpart 11. The receptacle 20 with the power supply components 21 placedtherein may be closed with a cover 20A.

The holding parts 13,14 are additionally shaped such that they containholding means 13C,14C whereby the control unit can be carried alsowithout a strap; however, straps also may be inserted through theopenings formed by them.

A preferred embodiment of a holding part 13,14 is shown in FIG. 9:

The component is produced in the form of a hollow part, in which webs13G,14G effect a division into compartments that may serve foraccommodation of electronic components or also of an antenna. These websand walls then also form suitable contourings for a fixed securing andpositioning of a wall part 11. The arms 13A,13B,14A,14B are closed bymeans of cover plates 13H,14H with openings that leave the recesses13E,14E open.

The feet 15A,15B,16A,16B provide for a secure stand of the control uniton one hand but, on the other hand, protect the wall part itself and thecontrol elements from damage in the event of jolts or drops.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   Housing 10-   Wall part 11-   Components 11A,11B-   Openings 12A,12B-   Holding elements 13,14-   Arms 13A,13B,14A,14B-   Holding means 13C,14C-   Cutouts 13D,14D-   Recesses 13E,14E-   Webs 13G,14G-   Cover plates 13H,14H-   Projections 14F-   Feet 15A,15B,16A,16B-   Bars 17,18,19-   Receptacle 20-   Cover 20A-   Power supply components 21-   Control elements 30,31-   Plastic part 40

1. A control unit, particularly a remote control for industrialequipment, comprising a housing for accommodating the controlelectronics and at least one control element, characterized in that thehousing (10) is formed by a wall part (11) and holding elements (13,14)that close the two end faces of the wall parts.
 2. A control unit as setforth in claim 1, characterized in that the wall part (11) has asubstantially rectangular cross section.
 3. A control unit as set forthin claim 1, characterized in that the wall part (11) consists of atleast one metal profile.
 4. A control unit as set forth in claim 1,characterized in that the wall part (11) consists of at least oneplastic profile.
 5. A control unit as set forth in claim 1,characterized in that the wall part consists of two horizontallyconnectable components (11A,11B).
 6. A control unit as set forth inclaim 1, characterized in that the wall part (10) has openings (12A,12B)for accommodating control elements (30,31) such as, e.g. a joystick, adisplay, or LEDs.
 7. A control unit as set forth in claim 1,characterized in that the holding elements (13,14) are molded plasticparts.
 8. A control unit as set forth in claim 1, characterized in thatthe holding elements (13,14) have contourings, such as channels, groovesor projections (14F) for connection to the wall part (11).
 9. A controlunit as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the holding elements(13,14) have two arms (13A,13B,14A,14B) facing in the direction of thecontrol elements, situated in a plane perpendicular to the wall part(11).
 10. A control unit as set forth in claim 1, characterized in thatthe holding elements (13,14) have a support surface for the hands.
 11. Acontrol unit as set forth in claim 9, characterized in that the arms(13A,13B,14A,14B) have cutouts (13D,14D), e.g. for holding straps orcarrying straps.
 12. A control unit as set forth in claim 9,characterized in that the two arms of a holding element(13A,13B;14A,14B) are arranged V-shaped with respect to each another.13. A control unit as set forth in claim 9, characterized in that theplane between the upper ends of the four arms (13A,13B; 14A,14B) extendsabove the control elements.
 14. A control unit as set forth in claim 1,characterized in that the holding elements (13,14) have at least oneholding means (13C,14C) for the fingers that permit the control unit tobe carried without straps as well.
 15. A control unit as set forth inclaim 9, characterized in that the holding elements (13,14) have feet(15A,15B,16A,16B) situated opposite the arms (13A,13B,14A,14B).
 16. Acontrol unit as set forth in claim 9, characterized in that the opposedarms (13A,14A;13B,14B) of the two holding elements (13,14) are connectedto one another via bars (17,18,19).
 17. A control unit as set forth inclaim 13, characterized in that the bars (17,18) are selectivelyinsertable into a plurality of recesses (13E,14E) within the holdingelements (13,14).
 18. A control unit as set forth in claim 16,characterized in that the bars (17,18,19) are made of metal.
 19. Acontrol unit as set forth in claim 16, characterized in that the bars(17,18,19) are made of plastic or glass fiber.
 20. A control unit as setforth in claim 18, characterized in that at least one of the wall part(11) and each of the bars (17,18,19) is a metal profile.
 21. A controlunit as set forth in 19, characterized in that at least one of the wallpart (11) and each of the bars (17,18,19) is a plastic profile.
 22. Acontrol unit as set forth in claim 18, characterized in that at leastone of the wall part (11) and each of the bars (17,18,19) is an extrudedprofile.
 23. A control unit as set forth in claim 1, characterized inthat the wall part (11) consists of at least one commercially availablestandard profiles.
 24. A control unit as set forth in claim 1,characterized in that the holding elements (13,14) have at least onereceptacle (20) for power supply components (20A) such as, for example,a battery or rechargeable battery pack.
 25. A control unit as set forthin claim 1, characterized in that the holding elements (13,14) havereceptacles for additional control elements, such as, for example,switches.
 26. A control unit as set forth in claim 1, characterized inthat the holding elements (13,14) are designed as one-piece units.
 27. Acontrol unit as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the insideand outside of the holding element (13,14) are identical.
 28. A controlunit as set forth in claim 16, characterized in that there is disposedbetween the wall part (11) and one of bars (17, 18, 19) a plastic part(40) that contains electronic components.
 29. A control unit as setforth in claim 28, characterized in that the plastic part (40) houses anantenna, a portion of an antenna, and/or its lead-in.
 30. A control unitas set forth in claim 29, characterized in that at least one of the barsis made of plastic and the lead-in leads to an antenna rod housed insidethe plastic bar.
 31. A control unit as set forth in claim 19,characterized in that one of the bars houses an antenna.
 32. A controlunit as set forth claim 18, characterized in that the one of the bars isan antenna.
 33. A control unit as set forth in claim 32, characterizedin that the metal bar is electrically isolated.
 34. A control unit asset forth in claim 33, characterized in that the isolation isimplemented by means of a plastic material or an additional conduit. 35.A control unit as set forth in claim 34, characterized in that theisolation is implemented by means of a coating (lacquer).
 36. A controlunit as set forth in claim 28, characterized in that the plastic part(40) contains control elements, such as keys and switches.
 37. A controlunit as set forth in claim 28, characterized in that the plastic part(40) contains at least one display.
 38. A control unit as set forth inclaim 28, characterized in that the plastic part (40) contains at leastone LED.
 39. A control unit as set forth in claim 1, characterized inthat the holding elements (13,14) consist of a tub-like hollow part thatis divided into compartments by means of webs (13G,14G).
 40. A controlunit as set forth in claim 39, characterized in that the top side of thehollow part is at least partially closed by means of cover plates(13H,14H).
 41. A control unit as set forth in claim 39, characterized inthat at least one of the compartments of a holding element (13,14)houses electronic components and/or an antenna.
 42. A control unit asset forth in claim 16, characterized in that at least one of the bars(17,18,19) is provided with an information carrier for operation of theat least one control unit.
 43. A control unit as set forth in claim 42,characterized in that the information carrier is a foil (171) thatcovers the circumference of the bar (17) at least partially.
 44. Acontrol unit as set forth in claim 43, characterized in that the foil(171) is enclosed by an at least partly transparent protective film(172) that is preferably shrunk onto the bar (17).